Armed men patrol around the regional parliament building in the Crimean city of Simferopol March 1, 2014. (Reuters/David Mdzinarishvili) / Reuters

Unknown armed men from Kiev have tried to seize the Crimean Interior Ministry overnight, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement. It's as Crimea's PM urges Russia to help cope with the crisis, ensuring "peace and calm" in the region.

“Thanks to the decisive action of self-defense squads, the
attempt to seize the building of the Interior Ministry was
derailed. This attempt confirms the intention of prominent
political circles in Kiev to destabilize the situation on the
peninsula,” the statement added.

"We believe it is extremely irresponsible to further pressure
the already tense situation in the Crimea," the ministry
stated stressing its concerns over the latest developments in the
region.

Earlier, Crimea's Prime Minister Sergey Aksyonov declared that
firearms have been used in the clashes in the region, Itar-Tass
news agency reported. The PM said the local Ministers' Council
and Supreme Court came under an attack.

He said he would temporarily manage all national security forces
in the region, including police, emergency services and the
Interior Ministry.

“All chiefs of staff should follow my orders. As for those
who disagree, I ask them to leave the service,” Aksyonov
said in an urgent statement to the region’s security forces.

Aksyonov said he had asked Russia’s President Vladimir Putin to
“help ensure peace and calm on the territory of the
autonomous region.” The request, the premier said, was due
to “the understanding of the responsibility for the life and
safety of the residents.”

Russian MPs urge Putin to react to Crimea crisis

A source in the Kremlin administration replied, “Russia won’t
ignore that address,” Russian news agencies reported. Later
in the day, both chambers of the Russian parliament asked Putin
to take measures to ensure stability in Crimea.

"The Duma Council adopted an appeal to the president of
Russia, in which parliamentarians are calling on the president to
take measures to stabilize the situation in Crimea and use all
available means to protect the people of Crimea from tyranny and
violence," said Lower House speaker Sergey Naryshkin.

The State Duma also said that currently it is impossible to
conduct legitimate and democratic elections in Ukraine due to
actions of “radical forces.”

The Upper Chamber of the Russian Parliament admitted a limited
number of Russian troops could be brought to Crimea to ensure
safety, speaker Valentina Matvienko said.

“It’s possible in this situation, complying with a request by
the Crimean government, even to bring a limited contingent of our
troops to ensure the safety of the Black Sea Fleet and the
Russian citizens living on the Crimea territory. The decision is
for the president, the chief military commander, to make of
course. But today, taking the situation into account, even that
variant can’t be excluded. We need to protect the people,”
Matvienko said.

This comes despite Russia’s repeated statements that all military
operations in the region fall within in the framework of the
agreement that concerns the Russian naval base in the Black Sea.

Although Western politicians and the media have expressed concern
over Russia’s alleged involvement in Crimea, they have not been
able to produce any solid evidence. A US State Department
spokeswoman told a press conference they have no confirmation of
“intervention” in Crimea.

So far, Moscow and the Crimean authorities have agreed to guard
objects belonging to the Russian Black Sea Fleet, whose main base
is located in Sevastopol, according to RIA Novosti.

Crimeans began protesting after the new self-proclaimed
government in Kiev introduced a law abolishing the use of other languages in
official circumstances in Ukraine. More than half the Crimean
population are Russian and use only this language for their
communication. The residents have announced they are going to
hold a referendum on March 30 to determine the fate
of the Ukrainian autonomous region.